2012 Top 50 Free Agents With Predictions

The sixth annual MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 Free Agents list is here! The entire list of available free agents can be found here, and you can filter by position and signing team with our free agent tracker here.

This year, I'm excited to introduce a new contest that will allow you to test your free agent prediction abilities against those of the MLBTR writing team as well as other readers. After players start signing, we'll have a leaderboard showing the contestants with the best "batting averages" on their picks. Once everyone has signed, the winners will receive sweet prizes. Here are the top 50 free agents for which you'll be making predictions, along with my guesses.

1. Albert Pujols – Cardinals. The Cubs, Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners, Rangers, Marlins, Nationals, and Dodgers are other potential suitors, but a significant premium would be required to lure away the longtime Cardinal. $225-230MM over nine years seems a fair compromise for the Cardinals and their superstar first baseman.

2. Prince Fielder – Mariners. Fielder has the same potential suitors as Pujols, with the Brewers also a possibility. The Scott Boras client is a tough free agent to place, as there are good reasons for every team to avoid a potential $150MM+ commitment. The Mariners and Cubs are the most likely matches for me. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik drafted Fielder in '02 with the Brewers, and his team lacks a premium bat.

3. Jose Reyes – Brewers. Reyes is another difficult top free agent to predict. The Nationals, Braves, Phillies, Giants, Pirates, Reds, Twins, Rays, and Cardinals could have a need at shortstop, but not all of those teams can or should spend $100MM+ on Reyes. The Mets will entertain re-signing Reyes, but the Brewers seem more likely to approach Ryan Braun's speculated $120MM price range.

4. C.J. Wilson – Nationals. Wilson's poor postseason may have damaged his stock slightly, but in his defense he racked up 250 innings over 39 starts this season in total and started 37 games in 2010. $100MM is still possible for Wilson, though 78% of MLBTR readers think he'll fall short. Front-of-the-rotation starting pitching is a big need for many teams, including the Nationals, Marlins, Royals, Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs.

5. Yu Darvish – Blue Jays. Darvish is not technically a free agent, and in fact he hasn't even decided about being posted at this point. If he does come over from Japan, a $100MM commitment will likely be required. The Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, Nationals, Mariners, and Royals could put in bids, and it wouldn't be surprising to see a few "mystery teams" enter the fray.

6. Edwin Jackson – Marlins. Jackson, a Scott Boras client, could also make sense for the Nationals and several other teams looking for a 200-inning starter with upside. Since Jackson is only 28, Boras could seek a four-year deal.

7. Jimmy Rollins – Phillies. Rollins probably won't find the five-year deal he seeks, but the Phillies have the need and the means to reach a new agreement with him.

9. Carlos Beltran – Red Sox. Beltran is a tough player to place, if the Giants are unable to re-sign him. He's a 34-year-old Scott Boras client who's likely to seek at least three years despite significant injury concerns in 2009-10 and a disinterest in being a designated hitter. It'll take a team with a right field opening and a tolerance for risk.

10. Jonathan Papelbon – Red Sox. I can picture the Red Sox going as high as three years and $39MM to retain Papelbon, though the closer will test the market. A half-dozen teams could seek closers this winter, but the list is short on big spenders and it's been a while since we've had a $40MM+ reliever.

11. Michael Cuddyer – Twins. Cuddyer would fit with the Rockies, Red Sox, or Cubs, but he's spent his entire career with the Twins and may prefer to stay.

12. Mark Buehrle – White Sox. Buehrle is another player who is difficult to picture with another club. The lefty finds the National League enticing, however, and he could join Ozzie Guillen in Miami since the Cardinals don't have an opening.

13. David Ortiz – Blue Jays. Ortiz backed off from his comments about Red Sox drama, and there's a limited market for an expensive player with no ability to play defense. Still, he'd give Toronto's offense a nice boost without requiring more than a two-year deal. That might leave Edwin Encarnacion having to play a significant amount of first base, however.

14. Ryan Madson – Phillies. If the Phillies don't re-sign Madson, and the Red Sox keep Papelbon, who would give Madson big money to close? As a Scott Boras client, Madson could seek a four-year deal with a salary approaching $10MM.

16. Carlos Pena – Pirates. Pena is a nice fit for the Pirates on another one-year deal, assuming they don't re-sign Derrek Lee.

17. Francisco Rodriguez – Marlins. K-Rod, a Scott Boras client, would like to return to the closing role on a three-year deal. The Marlins would have the opening and the money, if they non-tender Juan Carlos Oviedo.

18. Roy Oswalt – Rangers. Oswalt could return to Texas for a winning team, and he'll require a much shorter commitment than C.J. Wilson.

19. Javier Vazquez – Retirement.There's a strong sentiment that Vazquez will retire, but he'd be in demand if not after posting a 1.92 ERA and 6.05 K/BB ratio since mid-June.

20. Heath Bell – Padres. Bell hopes and expects to return to the Padres, perhaps on the first multiyear deal of his career.

21. Coco Crisp – Giants. Though he posted a low on-base percentage in 2011, Crisp could fill the Giants' need for a center fielder and leadoff man.

22. Hisashi Iwakuma – Twins. The Twins bid on Iwakuma last year when he was posted, and this year they can simply sign him as a free agent.

23. Kelly Johnson – Dodgers. Johnson could provide the Dodgers some offense from second base, though the Blue Jays and Tigers could also be in the mix.

25. Paul Maholm – Rockies. Though Maholm does not appear to be on the Rockies' radar at the moment, he's coming off a decent season and won't require a huge commitment.

26. Grady Sizemore – Marlins. Sizemore is a classic risk/reward case, and the Marlins don't seem interested in playing it safe this winter.

27. Bartolo Colon – Red Sox. Colon had an excellent comeback season, but he will still have a hard time finding a two-year deal. Perhaps he could take an incentive-based contract and remain in the AL East with the Red Sox.

28. Erik Bedard – Blue Jays. If the Blue Jays hit on a wild card like Bedard and also land Darvish, they'd have a fearsome rotation. Bedard is a healthy free agent for the first time, and perhaps he'll lean toward his native Canada.

29. David DeJesus – Cubs. DeJesus could be an asset for the Cubs at the outfield corners on a one-year deal.

30. Jason Kubel – Dodgers. Kubel could improve the Dodgers' offense as their left fielder, unless they go with Jerry Sands at the position.

31. Ramon Hernandez – Pirates. Hernandez would give the Pirates offense out of the catcher spot, though GM Neal Huntington may balk at giving up a second-round pick to sign him.

32. Jeff Francis – Pirates. Francis is one of many starting pitchers who could add depth to the Pirates' rotation at a reasonable cost.

40. Aaron Harang – Angels. Would Harang accept a below-market deal to stay close to home?

41. Jamey Carroll – Tigers. The versatile Carroll fits at the top of the Tigers' order, playing mostly second base.

42. Rafael Furcal – Cardinals. The Cardinals and Furcal are known to have mutual interest in a new deal; he showed promise in his Cards stint this year.

43. Juan Pierre – Reds. Pierre will have to take a more reduced role next year, perhaps under Dusty Baker again.

44. Frank Francisco – Mariners. Francisco was homer-prone this year, but he's still an asset in the late innings.

45. Jason Marquis – Mets. Marquis may have to take a one-year deal with the Mets to realize his goal of playing in New York.

46. Joel Pineiro – Cubs. Pineiro had great success in '09 in the NL Central, and could be a bargain if he rights the ship.

47. Jonathan Broxton – Mets. Broxton had arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur and loose bodies from his elbow in September and expects to be ready for Spring Training. Though he may not be the Broxton of old, I expect incentive-laden offers to be plentiful.

48. Joe Nathan – Twins. Nathan is excited about free agency, but after so many successful years closing for the Twins he may want to return to the role full-time in 2012.

There is this player that somewhat kinda sorta basically more or less completely headlines the Cliff Lee package named Justin Smoak. Why such a smart franchise would have fans so willing to sell off such a good pick…I do not know. I am a devout Nationals fan and am less than happy about selling a much more valuable pick, but I do not have a player like Smoak that can make my rotation compete with Halladay, Lee, and Hamels. Seriously, can someone please give Justin a shot, he has only had everyone from BA on down the list banter about his potential…if he gets blocked and somewaht forgotten I will ever less understand the baseball world.

Very little Mets activity, to no surprise here, they have no money to work with. Hopefully (according to this list) the Mets don’t spend too much on Marquis and Broxton and hopefully have enough to offer Reyes a competing deal

They already resigned Sabathia, this is a weak crop with no good fits for their roster, and they don’t have any real money coming off the books that’s not going to raises for their current roster.

I wouldn’t be shocked if they added Darvish or Wilson, but it’s not “bad work” to assume they stick with the team that had the best record in the AL last year and dive into the stronger FA pool next year.

As top heavy and weak as this class of FA SPs are, Cashman knows he need to upgrade the staff…I’m betting he overpays Wilson or Darvish. Not saying it’s a good move, I’m saying that’s where it probably heads.

I’m willing to bet a fairly sizable amount of money that Cashman pulls off a few trades this off season. I’m not going to speculate on what and where, but he’s already got it all mapped out. Bet on it.

Agreed. He’s not going to bank on the F/A market and get reamed for questionable quality. I’m sure he’s got 2 to 3 targets in his head and prices mapped out for them. Look for indications of his direction at the winter meetings.

It’s a possibility, but Cashman has shown an unwillingness to part with his top prospects for big name starters, and the Yankees could definitely use a number two to slot nicely in between Sabathia and Nova. They could trade for a modest starter, but Felix Hernandez isn’t coming in without Montero and a lot more and I doubt Cashman would do that for a possible rental.

Euw. No. A backup infielder, an expensive outfielder who’s only got one year left, one solid prospect who may not even stick at his position? I know the Yankees have some solid pitching prospects, but none of them are close to being enough to get Felix when combined with that package. Unless that pitching prospect is a clone of Pedro Martinez you guys have been developing, I don’t see them touching that deal with a ten foot pole.

The starting point would be Gardner, Montero and two of their top three pitching prospects. Anything less would be an underpay. I’ll be the first to admit that that’s too much to give up for just about anyone, which is why Hernandez is staying put. No one would be willing to part with the haul he should realistically command.

I’d much rather see the Tigers sign CJ Wilson and trade Porcello AND Turner for a second baseman, than see the Tigers sign Jamey Carroll, and I hope they hang on to both of those pitchers. They need a better 2nd baseman than Carroll.

I doubt the Brewers will look at Carlos Pena. They have some internal options for First Base like Casey McGehee, Corey Hart, and Matt Gamel. I don’t really see CJ Wilson either. The Brewers have all five of their starters returning next year. Aramis Ramirez could be a possibility if the price is right. Reyes scares me. He’s going to want a lot of money and he’s been injury prone throughout his career.

You have a Casey Kotchman, Adam Laroche in FA that would come cheaply and allow Brewers to fill other holes on team. Just saying. Pena@3m or less for one year would be a worthwhile investment. I think Pena ends up with Pittsburgh.

I really hope Albert goes somewhere else. Not because I’m a Cards hater or anything, but just because it would be that much more fun to see the best player in the game on a new team and in a new setting.

He has always wanted to come back to New York. I used to work with his sister (she’s pretty hot and probably married by now) and I imagine he would like to be close to home. The Met’s are a good fit for a $3.5mm – $4mm deal for a year.

Who are they going to sign? The Yankees don’t really have any position player holes and there’s very little on the pitching market. They’ll probably have to drastically overpay to get Wilson away from Texas and Darvish may just cost a small fortune.
There’s simply not much on the free agent market of any significant use to the Yankees. People seem to forget this, but despite having boatloads of cash, the Yankees don’t generally go out there and sign a free agent for the sake of signing a free agent. Sure, if they have a hole they need to fill and that hole can be fixed via free agency, they will throw oodles and oodles of money at it, but their biggest problem is the same one as last year, a flimsy rotation, and the market is possibly even worse off than last year for pitching.

Definitely not a lot of good options, but why would the Yankees be worried about over paying Wilson or paying a small fortune for Darvish?

Currently the Yankees have an ace in CC maybe a number 3 pitcher in Nova. If they resign Garcia then they have their number 5. Why not go after Jackson to be their 4th starter? Or try to lure Oswalt to New York. ( I don’t think that one would happen). Still though with that many holes in their rotation to not make some moves this offseason.

Also I think they could use an upgrade of Gardner in left but I’m not seeing who could really do that in this list.

EE and Lind splitting time at 1st with Ortiz DH would certainly make our offense better. I would look to do that if I was AA. There will be some injuries and EE can fill in fine at 1st/DH/maybe even a bit of 3rd base.

I already said I don’t see it happening, but if Ortiz ends up on the Jays (which is the premise that my statement was based on) AA doesn’t have a choice unless he also signs one of Philips, Pujols, Fielder, or Wilson.

In interviews earlier this autumn AA stressed his mode of operation at this time will be trades and not free agency. So, taking his word as truth, Darvish is an excellent possibility being that he’s not a FA. I am also praying AA doesn’t pick up Ortiz: short term gain for long term loss.

His numbers in Japan are incredible, but obviously those numbers never translate as well here. He’ll still get overpaid though because of the weak FA SP market. I’m really torn as to whether or not I would want my team to bid on him…

Perhaps? Honestly, most of the time in 2008, I wished Matsuzaka would only pitch from the stretch. With bases empty, the guy just would never challenge hitters, but he was nearly untouchable from the stretch. If Darvish is anything like that, I’d be cool with him pitching exclusively from the stretch.

I’ve been touting it for months as a move with some potential. Fielder’s bat and OBP would both play well in Safeco as a left and being an AL team, they can afford to overpay in years and move him to DH later in his career.

Between him and a full year of Ackley, they’d be significantly closer to contending and if Robinson is as useful for them as I imagine he’ll be (Still sad we flipped him for Bedard in hindsight), they’ve taken some major steps toward being a playoff team before Hernandez hits free agency and adding Fielder would complement that well. I’m honestly hoping he ends up there as he just seems like such a good fit for them (And also I don’t want him ending up in Toronto).

Agreed, the M’s can afford him and they can always move Smoak to DH and Carp to LF to make room for Fielder at 1B. Fielder along with a full year of Ackley and Carp and a healthy Justin Smoak would significantly improve the M’s offense.

Because they have a great front office and plenty of tradition. Wouldn’t you rather play in Chicago? I’m just saying, no way in hell they end up those places. Especially Aramis, he wants to win. And I’m sure Fielder does and he’s surely not going to in Seattle.

Very interesting choices, I always like to do my own list just for fun, looks like I’ll have to research and submit my list this year. I honestly have no idea how the market will play out, no one ever does, that’s the whole fun of it.

Jonathan Broxton – Mets. Broxton had arthroscopic
surgery to remove a bone spur and loose bodies from his elbow in
September and expects to be ready for Spring Training. Though he may not be the Broxton of old, I expect incentive-laden offers to be plentiful.
Jason Marquis – Mets. Marquis may have to take a one-year deal with the Mets to realize his goal of playing in New York.

Notice how the only ones that may sign with the Mets are washed up= injury riddled has beens?. Thats because the Mets have become a freaking joke in baseball with even bigger clowns in the front office then PT Barnum. no $ and no desire to win equals another freaking frustrating year in Flushing, NY.. Without Reyes there is NO WaY in hell I am paying even $5 bucks to see this ridiculous team full of MLB imposters next year.

Tim, you have Cherrington going after an all injured list his 1st year with Beltran and Colon? Kind of gutsy there with those 2 and yeah.. They lose 1 round tub of lard in ortiz and bring in Colon to replace him, so I get that, but Beltran, another injury risk stacked.

The Red Sox are not going to do the Bartolo (Blimp) Colon thing again. Remember this is the guy who told the Sox he was going home rather than pitch out of the BP in the 2009 playoffs. I don’t care how many stem cells they put in his arm. They should have put them in his head….he needs them there more. Colon to the Sox = Not happening.

So let me get this straight, Detroit who will have around 20 million to spend this offseason and was just in the ALCS and Jamey Carrol is their big free agent signing? I know this is just for fun and all that but Dombrowski is agressive and if he has that much money to spend he will get a much bigger name than Carrol.

True but I don’t think Josh Johnson, King Felix, or Kershaw are going anywhere. I’ve maintained all along that the Rangers make a run at Darvish and offer CJ a reasonable sum.

Trade for pitching if you have to…

I’d bet dollars to donuts the Rangers limit signing this offseason and set it up for the 2013 class of Starting Pitching… which is ridiculously deep. More bang for your buck there. (Cain, Hamels, Greinke, Danks, A. Sanchez, and J. Sanchez.

Man, either you have THeo and Jed making lots of trades, or you will have the Cubs having a really bad team next year
Who is the 3,4 hitters gonna be? Brian LaHair and Jeff Baker?
And DeJesus adds nothing to the Cubs. THey already have Marlon Byrd. They dont need another marginal starting OFer

There is zero reason for them to spend any significant money in the next year or two, they just don’t have the core to build off of to compete in the next couple of years, so any money spent now would basically be wasted unless it is spent on a young player who will still be on the team and productive 3-5 years from now.

I would further that. The Cubs were a 91 loss team with a legitimate run producer out their lineup. Without him and Pena, Cubs could easily lose 100 games this season. No front office wants that, especially when you’re part of a support plan for Wrigley renovation. Trades will happen. I hope Theo and his troops consider trading Garza.

I think the Rays bring Damon back if only because they can afford the big time DH’s. Man, would Fielder be nice….

We’re not a very high payroll team and I think our big splash might be Ramon Hernendez but that gives us respectable players at DH and SS. Now if Sean or Reid can learn to be an everyday SS and Kotchman does indeed come back cheap, we got this.

Just need a bit more offense when you can have a rotation of Shields – Price – Hellickson – Moore – Davis

How much do people expect A-Ram to sign for? I was just thinking we can put him at 1B and Joyce at DH, Guyer in RF. Or bring Kotchman back and try A-Ram at DH. Either way, with the Rays staff, his power alone could put us over the top.

wouldn’t mind seeing the a’s go after sizemore on an incentive based deal. they need someone who’s hit more than 5 home runs in a major league season in the outfield, especially since willingham is more than likely gone

As always, lots of valid criticisms of my picks in the comments here. Every year there are about five I’d like to instantly change after a hundred of you take a pass and make your points. But, I’m leaving them, for better or for worse. Really excited about the contest.

didn’t the Red Sox learn not to take up veterans who’re over the bump? Example: recent years (Smoltz, Penny, Gagne, etc). If they get CJ Wilson though, that would be an electric rotation:
Wilson
Lester
Beckett
Buchholz
*flip a coin (for the 5th rotation spot)*

I don’t understand how Willingham makes any sense for the Reds. Sizemore is the type of player we need, Dusty wants someone who would be a potential 1 or 2 hitter. Also someone who isn’t a butcher on defense. Willingham is basically Jonny Gomes in the outfield and a slightly better hitter.

If we want bad defense out there they will just send Yonder Alonso out there everyday and get a better cheaper bat out of it.

The new look Orioles. Same as the old look Orioles. I can’t say I’d be legitimately surprised, but there would be no better way for their new GM to come in and immediately say “no, I’m not really all that committed to winning eventually either” short of trading Matt Weiters to the Angels for Vernon Wells and Bobby Abreu (And Mathis would STILL get most of the catching).

I am excited for this contest! Thank you Tim and the rest of the MLBTR crew for coming up with this! I love the offseason just as much if not more than the regular season, anything can happen and it is always fun to wonder who will go where.

Do you really think the Cubs are going to let Carlos Pena and Aramis Ramirez go (combined 54 homers, 173 RBIs) without replacing them with something other than what they’ve currently got on the roster (Jeff Baker, Bryan Lahair?). That would almost guarantee a 100-loss season. Obviously, Ramirez is gone, but the Cubs will make more noise in free agency than you are projecting here, even if they are looking to the future.

The Nationals definitely will be out there to spend, but they’re not buying a closer when they have Drew Storen who they won’t give up for anything.

With Justin Smoak and Mike Carp on the Mariners’ roster, I think it’s crazy to think they’re even going to be a player in the Prince Fielder sweepstakes.

The only teams who will make an offer to Prince are the Cardinals (if Pujols leaves), the Brewers and Cubs, Orioles, Nationals, Angels, Rangers and Blue Jays. Everyone else either has a 1B in place, has a prospect they see developing there, or lacks the money to even consider entering the running.

I think we need NPB coverage over here especially with the growing interest in their players. It would be nice to see whatever has all of the front offices sending more scouts over there. Stats are nice, but being able to see some live action would be pretty nice too. Lift that veil of mystery a little bit.

Aramis Ramirez – Orioles – He could give the Orioles a powerful corner bat on a three-year deal. The only thing powerful here would be the “Foul Stench” from writing a check every pay period to this schnook!

Tsuyoshi Wada – Orioles. Who??????!!!!????? What happened to Yu Darvish? Not that I even really wanted him (Yu)! Plus, the Fact Stockstill can’t figure out what days he’s pitching in Japan. Hey at least he got some Saki, Kobe Beef and an interview for the Orioles GM job because of his fine work and attitude!

Johnny Damon – Orioles. He’s a difficult free agent to place. So we’ll stick this “Old Man’ with the Orioles! Why would the fans care?

Boy, I really love this. The Orioles are supposed to be getting some “World Class GM” in LaCava.. and that’s if they (O’s) sign him. Then LaCava is going to be brimming with confidence and cheer and immediately go out and sign three of the biggest “Schnooks” in the Free Agency Market! Gee, Thanks MLB TR, Thank You for Your Support!

I don’t see the Cubs only signing 3 of the people on this list frankly because Theo and Hoyer are under pressure to win especially if you mention them in play for Fielder and Pujols… If they have that type of $ to spend I dont see them not spending it.

I agree, AA will go hard after Darvish being there are no draft picks involved. It will be interesting to see where Darvish ends up, and how successful he is in the states. He is still a ? for me. I think Pujols, and Fielder are team changers, there is a big drop off after them. The teams that pick up the best pitchers in the off season either through trades or free agency will see the most improvement. Most teams don’t trade away good pitchers these days.

Alex Anthopoulos’ early career as Blue Jays’ GM has been characterized by enormous salary dumps and an obsessive quest for what he refers to as “player moves that represent real baseball value”. Risking $100 million on Darvish would be completely out of character.

If one of two or three big-payroll teams doesn’t sign him, I think Darvish will remain in Japan. All this talk coming out of the Jays’ front office is put forward to keep up fan interest over the off-season. Next season looks like it’s going to be just another fourth-place finish, “player-development” year.

In 2011, Jays had a significant attendance increase. So why spend any money?

Tim, based off your predictions the Braves will not be involved in free agency. Your probably right, the Braves generally do not go after big name free agents and are typically making trades in the off-season. However, I think Clint Barmes is a good candidate. Also, why not go after Jose Reyes? It’s very likely that we could move him over to 3B after this year and then we will still have room for some of our SS prospects.

Indeed, your post rivals your excessive facial hair for out-and-out ballsiness. There is nothing more macho in this old world than when an individual is willing to risk his mortal soul in order to make a bad pun.

Yeah, I don’t see the Red Sox bringing in a fatso who got a ‘shot in the arm’ (hence the term) to become good again. Did we think about the whole clubhouse aspect of things before randomly attaching the Boston Red Sox to the end of his name? Didn’t think so.

Red Sox will try and sign two of Bedard, Maholm Capuano,Ortiz,Papelbon, and for RF they will not sign Beltran as they have Reddick or Kalish to start and give a chance.
OR if they traded either or both they would then go after a more consistent player. Cuddyer,Willingham or even Kubel.

Nothing against Prince Fielder.. But this is tough to say but being a Mariners fan.. I dont want Fielder.. Let him sign with the blue jays or some east coast team. I want Jack Z to listen to the fans and not blow big cash on free agents.. Let the Kids play!

Reyes or Cj Wilson to the brewer, no way. After arbitration the brewers will be about where they were this season finacially, if they add one of them they will be about 100 Million next year, they can’t afford that so Pena or Kotchman coming cheap will be more likely.

Bartolo Colon to the Red Sox has no chance. The last time he was in Boston, he quit on the team and went home to the Dominican because he didn’t feel like pitching out of the bullpen or in the playoffs. LOL, what an a-hole.

As far as the Red Sox go, I think they could use a bit of an upgrade in right field (Reddick was rather streaky last season – also, his trade value may never be higher and if he stays, may be better served as the team’s fourth outfielder). Beltran’s a pretty good fit in Boston if he’s 100%. He’s a proven commodity, would be batting towards the bottom of the lineup, and they do have Reddick and/or Kalish if he falters or gets hurt. Other moves I hope they consider: re-sign Ortiz (only if he agrees to 2-year deal); re-sign Papelbon; sign a dependable veteran pitcher like Mark Buerhle or Edwin Jackson. Rotation: Lester, Beckett, Buchholz, veteran pitcher signing, Aceves. (Dice-K and Doubront as insurance/long men in bullpen) Lineup: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Gonzalez, Ortiz, Youkilis, Crawford, Beltran, Salty, Scutaro. Also: a few decent bullpen arms and a high character veteran backup catcher to replace Varitek.

I’m excited to see what Cherington does with the roster. There is no need for big, splashy signings this winter, but adding a strong, smart, vocal manager and a few leaders to the roster is important.

This article is ridiculous because the Cubs have the most money to spend, plus a new GM, and a big market…that almost always equates to a big splash in free agency. And the Cubs get Dejesus, Pineiro, and Wood??? You gotta be kidding me. They’ll get Fielder, not the Mariners

It’s just as tough to criticize someone’s list of opinions as it is to MAKE a list like this…remember that just one trade can completely throw the list into disarray. If your team (like mine, Atlanta) is not even on the list, maybe it’s because they are more likely (to the author) to play the trade market? Guys like Wandy Rodriguez, Jon Danks, and Jair Jurrjens might be on teams’ radars just as much as the Darvish/Wilsons of the world

He may not be under pressure to win….but then again there’s the politics tied to that whole Wrigley field renovation thing. Cubs lost 91 with Aramiz in that lineup. Without him and no productive bats, 100 losses easy. Then what, just miraculously turn it around in 2013, right?

I would be very surprised if the Twins landed Hisashi Iwakuma after the Tsuyoshi Nishioka experiment. I’d rather see the Twins pursue a pitcher who has actually proven something in Major League Baseball such as Roy Oswalt, Mark Buerhle, or even Edwin Jackson. Iwakuma is just too much of a risk unless a team signs him for less than 5 million a year. IMO

Hey, atleast you got one right but its kind of hard to predict where these guys will end up. Phillie struck first signing Papelbon, Texas signed J Nathan and maybe the NY Yankees will wake up soon. Still have the “Winter Meetings” to see what happens.
Happy Holidays ppl !

40. Aaron Harang – Angels. Would Harang accept a below-market deal to stay close to home?

41. Jamey Carroll – Tigers. The versatile Carroll fits at the top of the Tigers’ order, playing mostly second base.

42. Rafael Furcal – Cardinals. The Cardinals and Furcal are known to have mutual interest in a new deal; he showed promise in his Cards stint this year.

43. Juan Pierre – Reds. Pierre will have to take a more reduced role next year, perhaps under Dusty Baker again.

44. Frank Francisco – Mariners. Francisco was homer-prone this year, but he’s still an asset in the late innings.

45. Jason Marquis – Mets. Marquis may have to take a one-year deal with the Mets to realize his goal of playing in New York.

46. Joel Pineiro – Cubs. He’s never been that good so he’s a perfect fit

47. Jonathan Broxton – Mets. Broxton
had arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur and loose bodies from his
elbow in September and expects to be ready for Spring Training. Though
he may not be the Broxton of old, I expect incentive-laden offers to be plentiful.

48. Joe Nathan – Twins. Nathan is excited about free agency, but after so many successful years closing for the Twins he may want to return to the role full-time in 2012.

49. Kerry Wood – Cubs. It’s Cubs or retirement for Wood, and there’s no reason not to bring him back.

50. Bruce Chen – Royals. As long as Chen’s price tag doesn’t get excessive, he’s a good fit back with the Royals.

Just for your information Bartolo Colon ISNT a Mexican, hes from the Dominican Republic. The same goes for the rest of the latino named players such as Kendry Morales, Erick Aybar, Macier Izturis, Ervin Santana, Bobby Abreu, Albert Pujols and Alberto Callaspo. They are all from either the Dominican Republic, Cuba, or Venezuela. There are NO MEXICANS on the Angels. If anything Dan Haren is Mexican-American, but he is half white and Mexican.

The giants are going very cheap as Brian Sabean proves again and again that you get retreads and they’ll do the job. My prediction is that The Giants will be in 4th
place. I think ownership needs to fire Sabean and bring in some fire into this organization. The Giants have good pitching but horrible hitting. Brandon Crawford needs more seasoning. You get a guy like Jimmy Rollins or someone up their to lead their offense. Sabean another wasted season looking for a power hitter.